Overweight child - help needed!

What's in the breakfast smoothie? Is there plenty of protein and fibre to keep him feeling full? Greek yoghurt, protein powder, oatbran, peanut butter (sugar free one) that sort of stuff?

Or is it just fruit/veg and milk?

Why are so many people saying to take him to the GP, he's a slightly chunky 13 year old he's not sick. OP I'd suggest that a smoothie isn't a sufficient breakfast, would he get up a little earlier and eat something like weetabix or porridge that will keep him sated? Tell him that he's screwing his friends over by doing their homework for them as they'll be stuffed when they have to do these tasks themselves etc

What’s he eating for breakfast on the way to school? I’d get him eating a protein rich breakfast at home.
What exercise does he do?

You need to look for outside help asap so this addiction is sorted before he reaches adulthood. Also, make your own bread and preferably not white. This is because breads (especially those in plastic bags) are super ultra processed with lots of emulsifier. I got a Samsung breadmaker 18 months ago for about £130 from Argos and never looked back. At least I know what I'm putting into my family's mouth. Also, at 13, don't give him pocket money to spend at school shop. No snacks at all, just genuine meals.

Yeah I agree with the advice already given above OP, 1/2 - 2/3 of your meal is too little. He needs the same as you, if not more than you. Give him more good quality filling food, then he won’t feel hungry and secretly binge on empty calories.

For a boy that age I would think giving hin a half portion of whatever you said you’re eating for a main mea, is not gonna be enough for him (generally speaking). That’s why he may be snacking in between. He probably needs a portion the same size of yours to fill him up for several hours.

I agree with the protein advice, and would specifically make breakfasts high protein. Egg muffins have become a hit here, but also things like scrambled egg with left over meats from dinner (and some veg) etc...

You can see here OP that teen boys of his age would generally need more calories than adult women. He’s short so he might need a bit less than average (though not if he’s about to have a growth spurt)

But anyway - unless you’re a triathlete, if he’s getting less than you for dinner he is probably hungry and eating junk to compensate

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/how-many-calories-do-teenagers-need/

Going against the flow probably but can you try easing up on portion control at meals? Sounds like possibly he's not getting enough wholesome food to fill him up which may be driving him to fill up on snacks.

You could also try upping his protein intake, encourage him to snack on cheese and yogurt if he must snack.

You could also try locking cupboards if he is stealing food. Not ideal I know.

To add my experience; I had a similar issue with my DS at this age and, as a previous poster, a growth spurt eventually happened quite a bit later than most of his contemporaries.
We are a fairly tall family but his now 6'5 height is a surprise. DS is still a pretty chunky, rugby player build and eats like 'insert huge animal here'.
It is difficult when your teen is clearly overweight, I think I may even have posted a thread on here when he was around your DS's age, but I'm now so relieved I didn't make huge issues over it, having seen how important self-esteem is during A-levels/Uni, and how some of his friends have struggled.

On average a male at 13 years will burn more calories than an adult female. Maybe his meal should be as big as yours with the emphasis on protein. Also, increasing the proportion of healthy fats in his diet may help (full cream milk, nuts, olive oil in meals) may help him feel more satisfied and less inclined to want to snack on unhealthy foods (obtained by 'selling' his homework help)

How much sugar is he having OP? How much squash and what do you make his smoothie with (or what does he make his smoothie with)?

It may be a case of being hit by hidden sugars.

We can’t know that for sure though can we? I hope OP doesn’t take offence at this, but theoretically she could have an unrealistic idea of what is overweight.

I find it hard to imagine a 13 year old boy being seriously overweight in a home where he eats healthily and only has access to fruit, veg and bread as snacks.
Even if he’s being given junk by friends (presumably crisps & chocolate), that’s hardly unusual for teens.

The teens I know who have a serious weight problem eat fast food regularly at home and have eaten sweets and fizzy drinks in large amounts daily for months / years.

I’m not saying that I don’t believe OP, only that we don't have enough information to proclaim confidently that her child has compulsions or a medical problem. He might literally just be hungry!

"most likely still eating a lot less than some of his friends who are like weeds "

What makes you say that?

Have you a belief that he's just unlucky and somehow puts on weight by eating less than his peers?

Her DS has always been overweight. That's a different situation.

He has no ability to regulate food intake to the point of stealing it & trading it for homework done.

That's a level of compulsion that may have an underlying endocrine issue.

*It's now become clear he's swapping helping friends with homework for food and also stealing food from out cupboard. (We don't have crisps/chocolate or anything, it's things like bread).

He's obsessed with when he will be getting his next meal and what other people are eating*

This doesn't seem to me, to be a normal, healthy attitude to food

I'm no expert, but if you can't stop this obsessiveness, I think you need to try tofind out why it's happening

I would be v careful here. I have a young teen. When he was 11 he became so hungry. He was literally piling a massive plate with food in the evenings after eating a normal meal. He became visibly chunky/slightly overweight. I was worried he was developing a problem with food and would become an overweight adult.
He then grew in a year and a half from 5ft to 5ft 10. He is now extremely slim again. In his case the fuelling up and eating came before the growth spurt.
I have no idea what is happening with your son, but wanted to give my experience.

To be clear, of course healthy eating and exercise is important. That's needed for a whole host of reasons not just weight alone.

But it's unlikely to really address the weight issue alone.

I suspect the challenge in the UK might be getting the referral in the first place (same issue here, but we have the option of a private referral if you have health insurance, which most people do).

It's very very unlikely this will happen in this case.

OP's DS does have a medical issue. And that's what needs treating.

Prader-Willi syndrome can cause hyperphagia

People always like to mention PW syndrome on threads like this.

That's nonsense, to be frank.

Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare disease, and a genetic multi-system disorder, with very clear symptoms including low muscle tone, failure to feed as an infant, physical characteristics, as well as the compulsion to eat. OP does not have a 13 yo with undiagnosed PW syndrome.

rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/prader-willi-syndrome/

He sounds hungry! I don't know his weight/height but I would go the complete other way and feed him MORE! Lots of fat and protein to fuel him rather than carbs which would just fuel his hunger as they are burned up faster. Focus on nutrition, proper food to fuel him (eg don't get sucked into 'low fat' diet food which is just full of sugar), and good habits around mental and physical health.
I would worry that if you start to restrict food or focus on his 'problem weight' then that will lead down a more challenging path for you all.

Thinking on obesity has changed. For some people, no amount of diet management (although it will ultimately form a part) will make a difference.

You need referral to a specialist endocrinologist who is experienced in obesity management.

For some people, the 'eat less, move more' principle is incorrect, in fact, harmful.

It's now understood that the genetic & hormonal causation is predominant for some people - either leading to a desire to eat, lack of satiety or inability to lose weight despite following a diet / exercise plan.

The new drug regimes are now licensed for children over 10 and appear to be considered the best route.

Look up 'Donal O'Shea' who is Ireland's HSE Clinical Lead on Childhood Obesity. He has lots of interviews, and print articles explaining this.

Personally on an intuitive level, I find this hard to reconcile, and would have been like you OP, regulating / managing diet etc but it's clear there's a underlying medical issue that needs to be addressed in many cases.